Real OOB guidance?

[panzeriv]

After some searching with no luck, I've come to the experts.
I'm trying to find the actual, on the ground, "order of battle" of a typical panzer division in May 1940. In other words, how were they deployed?
I'll assume the recon battalion was out front and then probably the panzer brigade and then THe schutzen brigade with the kradschutzen first.

All just conjecture, can someone show me something actual?

Thanks
Scott

[Simon O.]

That's not a simple question to answer. One of the great strengths of the German army was it's flexibility. For sure, whilst on the offensive having recon and kradschützen out front and on the flanks was how things worked in an ideal situation but terrain, opposition, available resources all helped to require a flexible approach. You may have heard of kampfgruppen or battle groups and this was often how a division organised it's organic units as well as attached units, so for example you might have a couple of companies of tanks together with a battalion of infantry, a company of pionier, a company of panzerjäger and a couple of batteries of artillery. Such a battlegroup would then operate as a unit for that task it was given.

One of the things the Germans learnt very quickly in may 1940 was how badly their little 3.7cm PAK guns peformed against heavily armoured tanks like the British matilda and French Char B1bis, here they used the artillery and flak firing armour piercing shells to tackle the problem. ie. flak and artillery being used as anti-tank guns instead of their traditional role.




There are a great many works you might like to look up which will give you a feel for how panzer formations were used.

http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Tactics...ee_s_cp_5_7KF7

http://www.amazon.com/Rommel-Papers-.../dp/0306801574


http://www.amazon.com/Achtung-Panzer...ref=pd_sim_b_3


search for things like 'panzer division' at amazon or other books stores, there's quite a lot that's been translated.

If you really want to get down to the fine details, there's always the actual surviving archives of panzer divisions which you will find avaiable at NARA.

[panzeriv]

Thank you Simon for that very useful information. I actually have a couple of the books you mentioned. I guess it's time to reread them.


Scott

[Aiceman]

Hi Scott!

Let's go to here:
http://niehorster.orbat.com/011_germany/

Here can be found organizations and strength diagrams and illustrations

[panzeriv]

Yes Andor, that is one of my favorite sites.